Manual operating means for railway traffic controlling devices



0. S. FIELD Dec. 31, 1935.

MANUAL OPERATING MEANS FOR RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING DEVICES Filed OCt. '7, 1932 J llll I- 2Y T BY r 1% ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHQE MANUAL OPERATING MEANS FOR RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING DEVICES Oscar S. Field, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N. Y.

This invention relates to electrically locked levers for operating railway traflic controlling devices and more particularly to a means for mechanically operating the electric locking means and control contacts incorporated in such lever.

At certain outlying locations in a railway system, a single track switch or other traflic controlling device, such as a signal or derail, is

often manually operated, and consequently it isdesirable to provide a simple means for preventing operation of such a device unless warranted by the local traffic conditions, or unless permission for manual operation is granted by an operator at a remote location, such as a dispatcher.

It is also necessary to provide a manual means for controlling certain signalling circuits before the lever is moved from its normal position and for enforcing that the locking means is effective whenever the lever is placed in its normal position. However certain conditions sometimes hinder such operation of the levers because it is often necessary to employ such control levers at locations along the trackway where it is not possible to provide protection from the weather which allows the collection of snow or ice thereon to prevent the proper movement and locking of the lever.

In view of the above and other considerations, it is proposed in accordance with the present invention to provide an operatinglever for a railway traffic controlling device which may be electrically locked in its normal position and having a manual releasing latch for retaining the lever in either extreme position against accidental movement, and which is protected against the effects of unfavorable weather conditions. It is also proposed to provide a means for operating certain contact members and a lock forcing member from the manually operable latch and to couple these members to the latch in such a manner that they are operated to a definite position when the lever is unlatched for movement from its normal position and whereby this position of the members is substantially retained throughout the operating movement of the lever as well as when the lever is latched in its reverse position and .whereby they may only be returned to their original position when the lever is latched in its normal position. It is further proposed to provide a means for coupling the above mentioned members to the latch operating means which is sufiiciently enclosed that its operation is unaffected by various weather conditions.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic of the lever.

features of the present invention will appear as the description thereof progresses, during which,

references will be made tothe accompanying drawing which show the invention in a manner to make it easily understood rather than with 5 the view of showing the particular construction preferably employed in practice, and in which:-

Fig. l is a side elevational view of an operating lever constructed in accordance with the present invention showing the normal latched position 10 of the lever with certain parts sectioned, and other parts broken away to more clearly show the construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevational view of the same device as shown in Fig. l but showing the 15 lever in its unlatched normal position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the lever in its latched reverse position.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, a conventional type of lever L is shown as being oper- 29 able about a pivot pin 4, which pin is held in a frame F so as to allow the lever L to be operable to either of two extreme positions between quadrants 5 which serve to guide the upper portion The lower end of the lever L is to be connected to the operated trafiic controlling device by a connecting rod (not shown) which may be pivotally fastened to the extreme lower end, such as by a pin passing through a hole 6 therein. 39

Provision is made for retaining the lever in either of the extreme operated positions by the latch dog I which is connected to a latch rod 8, which rod is in turn manually operable by a latch handle 9 against a spring If; arranged to 35 normally force the dog 7 against the quadrant 5 of the frame F. A shoulder 5 is formed on the quadrant 5 which is engaged by the latched dog 1 when the lever is left in its normal position and a second shoulder 5 is provided at the other 40 end of the quadrant 5 for retaining'the lever L when operated to its reverse position.

The locking of the lever L is accomplished by a lock bar 12 which is connected to the lever L by links i 3. A second frame portion F is con- 45 nected to the frame F and has a guiding portion therein through which the lock bar 22 is allowed to move when operated by a movement of the lever L, and this frame F carries an electric lock which may be of the type fully shown and described in the patent to O. S. Field No. 1,794,601 dated March 3, 1931.

The construction and operation of the electric lock may be briefly described herein as comprising an actuating solenoid S having a plunger i5 55 to which is fixed a yoke l6 carrying a locking dog I! at its lower end. This locking dog I! is forced into a notch I2 in the locking bar l2 whenever the lever L is in its normal latched position by a cam bar I8 which passes through the yoke l6 and is operated by the latching mechanism in a manner fully described hereinafter. The frame F has an integral guide portion l9 which is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 in which the locking dog l! is allowed to move vertically and obviously retains the dog H which prevents movement of the lever L from its normal position until the locking dog H has been raised from the notch I2 and in Fig. 1 it may be seen that the dog I! cannot be raised until the cam bar l8 has been moved to the right so that the recess I8 therein is directly above the locking dog 19, or to such a position as shown in Fig. 2.

A plurality of stationary contacts 2! is mounted on the frame F in insulated spaced relationship, which contacts may be shunted by associated movable contacts 22 mounted on a movable rod 23 which rod 23 is connected as shown in Fig. 1 to a center pivoted arm 24 having a lower slot engaging a pin 25 in the end of the cam bar I8 so as to be actuated by a horizontal movement thereof. A plurality of fixed contacts, such as contacts 2|, are to be employed according to the number of circuits which are to be controlled and the associated movable shunting contacts, such as 22, may be arranged to either make or break circuits when operated by the latch handle 9. A second rod 21 is employed to operate other movable contacts not shown. This electric lock and contact arrangement is enclosed by a cover 26 which is arranged to protect these parts from moisture or the effects of various weather conditions, as well as to prevent unauthorized releasing of the electric lock.

An operating means for the cam bar l8 and the contact arrangement is provided by an extension of the latch rod 8 which has a yoke member 38 secured thereto at a point slightly below the lever pivot pin 4 so as to slide on the lower end of the lever L toward pivot pin 4 when the latch handle 9 is operated. A pivot holding member 3| is fixed to the other side of the lever L opposite the yoke member 33 and links 32 (one on each side of the lever L) connect a pin 33 in the member 3| to a similar pin 34 in the yoke 30. A longer link 38 connects the pin 34 with a pin 39 at the lower end of an obtuse angle crank 40 which is pivoted to the frame F by a pin 4 l The other end of the crank 40 is connected by an adjustable connecting rod 43 to a crank 44 pivotally mounted on the frame F by a pin 45 and the lower end of the crank 44 has a notch therein receiving a pin 46 in the cam bar I8.

It is obvious that a movement of the latch handle 9 to release the latch dog I will operate the cam bar l8 to the right, or to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the recess I8 is positioned for allowing the locking dog ll to be raised and free the locking bar 12 for a movement of the lever L to its reverse position. When the lever L is moved to the right to its reverse position as shown in Fig. 3 a very slight movement of the crank 40 will be produced because of the fact that the pin 34 on the latch rod 8 will operate through a slight are about the pivot pin 4 thereby slightly moving the connecting link 38 but such movement will not be sufficient to either cause the sides of the recess 18 in the cam bar 18 to engage the locking dog I! or to effectively operate the movable contacts 22.

When the lever L has been operated to its reverse position the latch handle 9 may be released and the latch dog 1 will fall into the recess formed 5 from the shoulder 5 on the quadrant 5 thereby retaining the lever L in its reverse position against accidental movement or providing against the trafiic controlling device from returning the lever to a mid-position due to any stress in the con- 10 nections therebetween. The shoulder 5 is not as deep as the shoulder 5 in the quadrant 5 which does not allow the latching dog I to drop as far as in the normal latching position. The cam bar l8 and the movable contacts 22 15 are not then effectively operated but are only moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 or the same position as when operated by the movement of the latch handle 9 to release the lever L from its normal position.

The control circuit for the solenoid S will depend largely upon the particular application, but for example, its energization may be controlled by a local track relay which is positioned according to the presence or absence of a train in a 5 track section adjacent the trafllc controlling device operated by the lever L, or in other cases, the solenoid S may be controlled over a circuit extending from a remote interlocking tower. It is also probable that a pair of contacts such as 30 2| associated with the lever L will be included in the energizing circuit of the solenoid S, which contacts 2! are shunted by the contact 22 to enable the solenoid to be energized, (subject to its external control) only when the cam bar I8 has 35 7 been operated to a position which allows the plunger l5 to pick up the locking dog I! thereby greatly reducing the amount of energy consumed by this circuit. As previously stated, it is contemplated to operate a plurality of contact groups from the latch handle 9, such as the stationary contacts 2! which are engageable by the movable contact 22; and it is proposed to employ such contacts to control other traflic controlling devices, such as signals which may restrict trafiic 45 movements when the lever L is moved from its normal position.

A manual operating means for a traflic controlling device has thus been provided which is particularly adapted for operating single outly- 5() ing switches, signals, derails or the like in as much as the more delicate parts thereof are protected so as to be unaffected by the various weather conditions. An electric locking means is provided which prevents movement of the 5 operating means from its normal position until a latching handle has been operated and providing the electric locking means is energized by its particular control circuit. The releasing of the latching means which, as just stated, mechanically allows the electric locking means to release the operating means is also eifectlve to operate contacts included in the device which may function in the local block signal circuits to prepare the system for the ensuing operation (if) of the trafiic controlling device.

An important feature of the present invention is the means by which the contact means and the mechanical means for enforcing the operation of the electric lock are coupled to the latch handle which is carried by the lever operating the trafiic controlling device. When the latch handle 9 is operated to a position releasing the operating means for a movement from its normal position to its reverse position, these members 7 are operated in the proper position and the coupling means, as 34, is moved to a point which is as near as possible to axis 4 of movement of the operating lever L, thereby minimizing the movement of these members during operation of the lever L to the reverse position. This movement of the coupling means, due to movement of lever L, does not efiectively operate either the contacts or the mechanical enforcing means I 8 for the electric lock, and such movement as has been produced by the operation of the lever L is recovered or retraced by the slight operation of the latch hand which it moves to retain the lever in its reverse. 7

The above rather specific description of one form of the present invention is given solely by the way of example, and is not intended, in any manner whatsoever in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that various modifications, adaptations and alterations may be applied to meet the requirements of practice, without in any manner departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, except as limited by the appended claims.

Having thus shown and described my invention, what I claim is:-

1. In an operating means for a traific controlling device, a lever operable to two distinct positions, latching means arranged to retain said lever in either of said extreme positions, manually operable means for releasing said latching means, contact means associated with said lever, a lever system coupling said contact means to said manual latch operating means, said latching means being so formed that it operates the lever system to operate said contact means to a definite position upon releasing the latching of said lever when in one of said extreme positions and is substantially maintained in said definite operated position when said lever has been operated to the other extreme position.

2. In an operating means for a trafiic controlling device, a lever operable to two distinct positions, latching means arranged to retain said lever in either of said extreme positions, manually operable means for releasing said latching means, electric locking means operable to prevent operation of said lever from one extreme position, a cam bar operable to a position preventing the operation of said electric lock to free said lever, and means operably coupling said cam bar to said manual latch operating means, the latching means being so formed that said cam bar is operated to a position permitting operation of said electric lock by releasing the latching of said lever when the lever is in one of said extremepositions and is substantially maintained in the aforesaid operated position when said lever has been operated to the other extreme position.

3. In a lever formanually operating trafiic controlling devices, a latch for retaining the lever in either of two extreme operated positions and in such extreme position cooperating with a notch, a handle on said lever for operating said latch, an electric lock operable to prevent movement of the lever from one extreme position, circuit controlling means associated with the lever, mechanical retaining means operable to force the locking of the lever by said electric lock, and a pivoted lever system coupling the latch handle to the circuit controller and mechanical retaining means whereby operation of said handle eifectively operates said circuit controlling means and said mechanical retaining force the locking of the lever by the electric means only when the lever is in one extreme position. i

4. In a lever for manually operating trafiic controlling devices, a latch for retaining the lever in either of two extreme operated positions, 5 a handle on said lever for operating said latch, an electric lock operable to prevent movement of the lever from one extreme position, mechanical lock retaining means operable to force the locking of the lever by said electric lock, and a 1'0 pivoted lever system including a member rockable by movement of said handle, for transmitting the operating movement of said latch handle to said mechanical lock retaining means and 'means causing the latch handle to efiectively 1 5' operate the lock retaining means only when the lever is in said extreme locked position.

5. In an electrically locked lever foroperating traffic controlling devices, a latch arranged to retain said lever in either of two extreme oper- 20 ated positions, a handle on said lever operable to release said latch, a cam bar operable to enforce the locking of said lever in one position,

a crank connected to the cam bar, a link carried by the lever and operably connected to the handle 25 and connected to the crank in such manner that said cam bar can be effectively operated by said handle when said lever is in said locked position but is not effectively operated by movement of said lever.

6. In an electrically locked lever for operating traflic controlling devices, a latch arranged to retain said lever in either of two extreme operated positions, a handle on said lever operable to release said latch, a cam bar operable to enforce the locking of said lever in but one of its extreme positions, a plurality of contact means connected to said cam bar, and a link and crank connecting means whereby said cam bar can be effectively operated by said handle only when said lever is in said locked'position.

7. In a lever, a manually operable latch arranged to retain the lever in each of two positions, and means effectively operated by a movement of said latch only when the lever is in one of said positions.

8. In an electrically locked lever for operating traffic controlling devices, a latch arranged to retain said lever in either of two extreme operated positions, a handle on said lever operable to release said latch, a cam bar operable to enforce the locking of said lever in one position, a crank connected to the cam bar, a link carried by the lever and connected to said handle and also connected tothe crank in such manner that said cam bar can be efiectively operated by said handle when said lever is in said locked position only but is not efiectively operated by movement of said lever.

9. In a lever for manually operating trafiic controlling devices, a pivot in an intermediate portion of the lever, sectors positioned above the pivot in a manner to guide the operation of the lever, a latch cooperating with the sectors in a manner to retain the lever in either of two extreme positions, a handle on the lever for releasing the latch, an electric locking means operable toprevent movement of the lever from one extreme position only, a cam bar operable to enlocking means, operating means connected to said handle and positioned beneath said lever pivot for effectively operating the cam bar by said handle only when the lever assumes one extreme position, and a housing substantially enclosing the portion of the lever beneath said pivot.

10. In combination, a lever for operating a traflic controlling device, a pivot shaft in the intermediate portion of the lever, a frame supporting the pivot shaft and substantially enclosing the lower end of the lever, sectors carried by the frame above the pivot shaft in a manner to guide the operation of the lever, a latch coopcrating with the sectors in a manner to retain the lever in either of two extreme positions, a handle on the lever operable to release the latch, means for electrically locking the lever in a normal extreme position, a cam bar operable to enforce the operation of the electric locking means when the lever is in said normal extreme portion only, a housing enclosing the electric locking means and the cam bar, and means connected to said handle and positioned within the closed portion of said frame for effectively operating said cam bar by a movement of said handle.

11. In combination, a vertical lever operating about a horizontal pivot shaft, a frame having a closed portion beneath the pivot shaft and an open portion above the pivot shaft, electrically operated means for locking the lever, a bar operable to force the operation of the locking means, contacts operated in accordance with the position of the bar, a latch handle on the lever, mechanical coupling means between the handle and the bar whereby said bar can be effectively operated by the handle on the lever but cannot be effectively operated by movement of the lever, said mechanical coupling means being carried within the closed portion of the frame to be thereby protected from the weather.

OSCAR S. FIELD. 

